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Cursed Mountain Review for Nintendo Wii

Cursed Mountain Review for Nintendo Wii

Just because the shambling re-animated masses are still the hot flavor of the moment doesn’t mean there’s not room for some good old ghost stories in the gaming world. For some, the prospect of malevolent, demonic spirits invading our realm is far creepier than the gore-strewn campiness of zombie apocalypses. Deep Silver bucks the latest trend by instead choosing to reach beyond the veil to reveal some horrifying haunts steeped in ancient legend and Buddhist mysticism.

Cursed Mountain screenshot

The howling winds blow eerily through the cold Himalayan mountaintops, providing a foreboding setting for a horror-infused adventure in the dark valleys below and atop the ice peaks high above. A little spookiness is just what the Wii needs, and Cursed Mountain has it in great supply. It may not dodge enough bullets to be dubbed a truly amazing survival-horror experience on the console, but it does send a few cold chills down the spine and deliver an occasionally unnerving performance that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Following the strange disappearance of his younger brother Frank, seasoned mountain climbing veteran Eric Simmons heads to the Himalayas in search of his lost sibling. Upon arriving at the villages along lower reaches of the mountain range, it appears something sinister has viciously slain many of the region’s inhabitants and chased-off the few remaining survivors. It’s here in these cold abandoned streets that Simmons picks up the first clues of his brother’s passing, which spurs him to ascend higher and places him into far greater danger than he could have possibly imagined. The demonic spirits are restless, and their new hobby of stalking the living does not bode well for the aging mountaineer.

Cursed Mountain screenshot

Exploring the grim, barren town landscape and the grounds beyond soon reveals that, despite appearances, you’re not alone. The oppressive feeling of being watched and early encounters with the first shadowy denizens that emerge from the surrounding fog are definitely jarring. You can always tell when ghosts are afoot, as the muted colors in your surroundings drain away to a dark gray, a creepy fog rolls in, and the soundtrack grows more ominous with each step, though in what form they’ll manifest changes up from time-to-time. But what fun is a game about evil spirits, if there’s no way to fight them? Simmons soon finds himself in possession of a blessed pickaxe that has the power to vanquish the evil entities. Even so, doing battle with those from beyond isn’t as easy as swinging the thing around, since creatures will often surround you or evaporate and re-appear in a different location. Other times they’ll erect a dead zone around you that saps your life force slowly until you dispatch them.

Moving around and wielding your pickaxe with the Wii Remote and Nunchuk is fairly straightforward. Simmons can jog, but his overall momentum tends to be on the sluggish side. A short way into the game, you’ll gain the ability to focus you mind and look deeper into the spirit world to scan for ghosts and paranormal hotspots. While pretty slick in concept, this also introduces a slightly awkward over-the-shoulder camera angle and unwieldy motion controls that make it extremely challenging to overcome your ghostly adversaries, particularly when dealing with more than one at a time or with tougher boss encounters. In this enhanced visual perspective, you can point with the Wii Remote to aim an energy blast at foes or lock onto a hotspot and trigger a special technique to dispel them. The latter brings up a confusing interface that requires you to chop or thrust in different directions in a sequence. Flailing around at random works a little too well, which is disappointing. The main issue comes with trying to aim at moving targets or react quickly when enemies get too close for comfort. It’s not a deal-breaker, but there’s definitely room for improvement here.

Cursed Mountain screenshot

Cursed Mountain looks quite good on the Wii. There are not a lot of humans (at least the friendly, living kind) to interact with, as you’ll mainly be trudging at a slow and steady pace through all manner of spooky settings along the mountainside. The terrain and locales you’ll pass through during your ascent progress naturally and have a consistent flow in their design. The smoky, dark aesthetic is gloomy, dismal, and perfectly suited to foster some scare tactics. There are moments where you’ll likely jump in your seat, though the creepiness and shock of those initial ghostly encounters dulls some after the umpteenth time you’ve wrestled with them.

Cursed Mountain screenshot

It’s always fun when spectral hands reach out at you from a wall or the camera changes to the perspective of something particularly evil stalking you from the distance. They’re common horror movie tactics that work well in the game. Menacing background audio combines nicely with the overall art direction to form a thick atmosphere that feels fresh and very haunting. A mountaintop may seem like an unusual setting for a horror game, yet this is exactly why it works so well.

When you’re not fighting off evil spirits, the rest of your time is spent exploring. You’ll often stumble across journal entries and other documents left behind that shine some light on why your brother was one the mountain in the first place and what happened to some of the other residents in the area. In some cases you’ll have to hunt around for specific items or accomplish set tasks to unlock the path ahead. The pacing is too slow at times, though the mystique and sinister nature of the journey does do a good job at drawing you further up the mountain and deeper into the plot.

As far as survival-horror games go, Cursed Mountain gets a lot of things right and manages to stay afloat through its unconventional setting, intriguing story, and well-designed atmosphere. The harsh environment and the desolate landscape evoke feelings of isolation and till the soil for some solid thrills and chills to grow. Minor control issues and occasional sluggishness in the game’s momentum crop up but don’t damper the overall spirit. This ghost story is worth paying some attention to.

RATING OUT OF 5 RATING DESCRIPTION 4.2 Graphics
The thick, oppressive atmosphere simply exudes creepiness. 3.4 Control
Sluggish and awkward at times. 4.0 Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
The spooky audio enhances the game’s eerie vibe. 3.9

Play Value
Slow and steady exploration will keep you on the edge of your seat and progressing upward for some time.

3.9 Overall Rating – Good
Not an average. See Rating legend above for a final score breakdown.

Game Features:

  • One of the first survival/horror games designed specifically for the Wii, Cursed Mountain creates a terrifying setting in a stylized, atmospheric manner.
  • As players ascend the mountain, they will clearly see the summit in the distance, a looming reminder of their final destination, and they can also look behind to see how far they’ve gone.
  • Designed to mimic the physical aspects of sacred prayer rituals, mantras, and gestures of Buddhism, combat is comprised of gestures that release the spirits from the curse.
  • As players climb higher, the mountain itself becomes an enemy. Prone to the travails of altitude sickness and oxygen deprivation, players may not be able to tell the difference between real enemies and hallucinated ones.

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